Despite Bloody Failures, US Doubling Down on Drug War: After U.S. Drug Enforcement agents killed several innocent Honduran civilians in a botched raid earlier this month, some expected drug war efforts in Central America would relent. But American intervention has doubled down.

US Retains Plans for Military Option in Syria: Even as U.S. officials criticize direct military action in Syria as unworkable, the Obama administration continues to make clear that the military option is being considered and plans drawn up.

US Still Runs Afghan Torture Prison: The U.S. has made much of its transfer of the detainees at Parwan Detention Facility to Afghan government control. This, as with so many other “transition” moves, has been hyped as enormously significant, but in reality is superficial.

US Completes Massive Military Exercise in Jordan: The United States completed a massive military exercise called Operation Eager Lion in Jordan that included 18 other nations and served to strength military ties with autocratic client states and to threaten Iran.

Crime scene investigation (CSI) can play an essential role in helping to render justice–but only if it is performed in an unbiased manner. Last month’s resignation of Indianapolis’s police chief–amidst a scandal involving allegations of a police cover-up–underscores the need for a wall of separation between forensic science and law enforcement. Houston Mayor Annise Parker seems to understand this need better than most politicians. In response to several reports of systemic bias or misconduct by forensic scientists–including an episode that led to the conviction of 16-year old Josiah Sutton for a rape that DNA evidence later showed he did not commit–Mayor Parker called for Houston’s crime labs to be placed under the control of independent boards, instead of under law enforcement or the county medical examiner. Economists E. James Cowan and Roger Koppel (the latter a contributor to the Independent Institute book The Pursuit of Justice) concur with Parker’s recommendation. READ MORE

Can the United States do a better job helping veterans and service members in ways that make no new demands on taxpayers? Independent Institute Research Fellow Vicki E. Alger thinks so. In a new op-ed for Townhall.com, she offers a proposal that may appeal to large segments of the population: allow veterans and service members to transfer their G.I. Bill benefits to their elementary school children, just as they are now allowed to transfer their educational benefits to their college-age children. READ MORE

The U.S. tax code penalizes married women. For example, a woman from a middle-class household who works a full-time job at minimum wage can expect to take home about 32 cents out of each dollar she earns. Similarly, employee-benefits law is too rigid: Dual-income couples who have duplicate benefits usually can’t negotiate with an employer to receive higher wages in exchange for fewer benefits, because the IRS would penalize the employer. And U.S. labor laws make it hard for parents with young children to choose alternatives to the traditional 40-hour week. These injustices stem from anachronistic laws ill suited to today’s workforce, according to Independent Institute Research Fellow John C. Goodman. READ MORE

Despite the nuclear deterrents possessed by Britain and France, and the end of the Cold War, the Obama Administration is quietly working to strengthen NATO in Europe. You wouldn’t have learned about this from news coverage of the recent alliance summit in Chicago, which seemed fixated on NATO’s role in Afghanistan, but Obama has proposed arming the organization with surveillance drones, giving it control of U.S. missile-defense sites in Europe, and moving U.S. troops from Afghanistan to the European continent. Instead of shoring up NATO, the United States should be leaving it, according to Ivan Eland, director of the Independent Institute’s Center on Peace & Liberty. READ MORE

Erik Scott was a West Point graduate who went on to serve honorably in the Army, get his MBA from Duke and establish a lucrative career in real estate and as a sales rep for a medical device company. He was 38 years old when he was gunned down in portico of a Las Vegas area Costco store by officers from the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. While it was…

PELOSI: OBAMACARE WILL BE UPHELD 6-3, ‘BECAUSE I KNOW
THE CONSTITUTION’

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the Supreme Court will uphold the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s health care law, predicting a 6-3 decision because, as she remarked, “I know the Constitution.” At a Capitol Hill press conference on Thursday, a reporter asked Pelosi, “Madame Leader, the Supreme Court is getting ready to rule in the next month or so on the health care bill, and you’ve expressed pretty…

I don’t have a problem if people want to implant a microchip in their pets in case they get lost. I also understand the need for using a microchip implanted in the shoes of Alzheimer’s patients in case they get lost. However, I do have a problem when a school district decides to implant a Radio Frequency Identification System microchip in student’s ID card so they can track them. Northside…

The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals held unconstitutional a provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) Thursday, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. No doubt this will be before the Supreme Court by the end of the summer 2013. The Defense of Marriage Act contains only three sections. Section 1 is merely the title. Section 2 grants any state an indulgence against…

Economics provides a powerful framework for understanding what goes on in the marketplace, the voting booth, the family, the community, and every other sphere of social activity. Its greatest teachers–from before Adam Smith on down to the present–have always impressed upon the public their discipline’s explanatory powers and importance for human well-being. In the new book Living Economics: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, Independent Institute Research Fellow Peter J. Boettke contributes to this tradition by discussing the ideas of some of the most important economists of the past century–famous and not so famous “worldly philosophers” whose innovative theories shed light on pressing issues such as inflation and unemployment, capitalism and socialism, competition and entrepreneurship, law and politics, and customs and civil society. READ MORE

Like his predecessor George W. Bush, Barack Obama ran for office pledging to end the federal crackdowns on marijuana but while in the Oval Office has instead increased the number. There have been 170 SWAT raids of medical marijuana dispensaries since October 2009. The raids demonstrate the worth of campaign promises (no news there), but they also fly in the face of public opinion: 56 percent want pot to be treated like alcohol or tobacco and 74 percent (including two-thirds of registered Republicans) want the feds to respect state laws that allow medical marijuana, according to recent polls. It’s about time that the nation’s leaders heeded public opinion, Independent Institute Research Editor Anthony Gregory argues in his latest piece for theHuffington Post. READ MORE

One argument for passing the federal healthcare overhaul was to provide access to healthcare for those whose pre-existing conditions kept them from buying private insurance. As of December 31, 2011, only 49,000 people had bought insurance through the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, the risk pools created by the Affordable Care Act. Independent Institute Research Fellow John C. Goodman invites us to consider the number of uninsureds with pre-existing conditions in relation to the magnitude of the new healthcare law. READ MORE

President Obama faces growing pressure to mount U.S. air strikes against the regime of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad. So far, the White House has resisted, though it has provided the opposition with communications equipment. Unfortunately, such non-lethal aid could be the slippery slope that culminates in U.S. military intervention, perhaps after the November presidential election has passed. Launching U.S. air strikes–or worse, sending boots on the ground–should be avoided at all costs, according to Independent Institute Senior Fellow Ivan Eland. One reason is that the Assad regime is a more formidable opponent than, say, Libya, whose military under Moammmar Gadhafi was weak. Also, Syria is a less cohesive country than Libya, which could lead to further difficulties in stabilizing it after Assad is gone. READ MORE

If you have a house that you sell for $200,000 and you owe the mortgage company $150,000, then you have $50,000 in equity. That $50,000 is your money to invest, spend, or save. If you make a wise investment, you’ll make money. If you make a bad investment, you’ll lose money. It’s that simple, unless the government gets involved. Private equity firms partner with financial institutions, venture capitalists, and private…

Ron Paul Wins 62% at Louisiana GOP Convention as His Delegates
Are Arrested

“I’m handicapped! I need a doctor!” “Sir, this is the chairman!” The Louisiana State Republican Convention descended into chaos Saturday morning, with several delegates being arrested and the convention chairman being thrown to the ground by police. Sources report that state party officials panicked when it became clear that Ron Paul delegates commanded a decisive majority of the delegates on the floor – at least 111 of 180 (62%). The…

Experts have advised the government that all children should be given annual flu vaccine shots in schools. The advice, given as part of a consultation on preventable disease, said that is would raise immunity in the crowded environment of schools, and therefore in the wider community. It was claimed that the expense of undertaking such a massive vaccination program, would be balanced by the savings from not having to treat…

Maybe the economy is a political black hole, sucking every other issue into an impossibly dense void. Maybe Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are just private, cautious men by nature. For whatever reason, neither President Obama nor his Republican challenger is talking much about religion these days — neither about his own faith nor that of his opponent, or the social issues that motivate religious voters. It is a striking…

FORMER DETECTIVE TESTIFIES TO FABRICATING DRUG CHARGES AGAINST INNOCENT PEOPLE

A former NYPD narcotics detective snared in a corruption scandal testified it was common practice to fabricate drug charges against innocent people to meet arrest quotas. The bombshell testimony from Stephen Anderson is the first public account of the twisted culture behind the false arrests in the Brooklyn South and Queens narc squads, which led to the arrests of eight cops and a massive shakeup. Anderson, testifying under a cooperation…

US Government Still Insisting It Can’t Be Sued Over Warrantless Wiretapping

Once again, the federal government is trying its hardest to prevent the courts from determining whether it has broken (or is still breaking) the law through the NSA’s wiretapping program. For nearly four years, the Obama Administration has followed in the Bush administration’s footsteps, invoking national security and a variety of procedural hurdles to shield itself from accountability in courts. In three separate lawsuits that have been churning in the…

On Fox News’ “Hannity” Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) came out Thursday evening in support of Mitt Romney for President. While, he maintains that he supports his father, Ron Paul, he believes the nomination process is over, though it isn’t quite yet over, and that he is throwing his support behind the former governor of Massachusetts. Paul made some bit of connection with Romney in stating that they both came from…

The New Mexico Court of Appeals just made a landmark decision that could affect every Christian business person in America. Elaine and Jonathan Huguenin of Albuquerque, New Mexico are the owners of Elane Photography. They also happen to be Christians who do their best to live and run their business by their Christian values. In 2006, Vanessa Willock contacted Elane Photography and asked they would photograph her ‘commitment ceremony’ with…

In one state, the jobless now have to pay the government. Colorado accidentally overpaid $128 million in unemployment benefits last year, and now the state is billing the jobless to get that money back, the Denver Post and Associated Press reported. States across the country accidentally overpaid $5.1 billion in unemployment benefits, largely because of clerical mistakes rather than fraud, according to government officials quoted in the Denver Post. It…

Scientists could soon be able to routinely screen unborn babies for thousands of genetic conditions, raising concerns the breakthrough could lead to more abortions. A team has been able to predict the whole genetic code of a foetus by taking a blood sample from a woman who was 18 weeks pregnant, and a swab of saliva from the father. They believe that, in time, the test will become widely available…

For the first time publicly, Jordan stated its security officials arrested two jihadists affiliated with al-Qaida on their way to Syria to fight against President Bashar Assad. Last month, WND first reported there is a growing collaboration between the U.S.-supported Syrian opposition and al-Qaida as well as evidence the opposition is sending weapons to jihadists in Iraq, according to an Egyptian security official. The WND report named several al-Qaida branches…

The New York Times points out that two-thirds of the most frightening post-9/11 plans for attacks on American soil were stings orchestrated by the government agents. Typically, a bumbling, gullible, down on their luck “potential terrorist” with no history of violence is coaxed into some sort of involvement and then arrested, followed by news media trumpeting the “narrowly foiled plot”: The United States has been narrowly saved from lethal terrorist…

Police in Taos, New Mexico have spent close to a month investigating a case where a man was allegedly beaten after removing political signs placed on his property without his permission. Across the road, a candidate for District Court Judge Ernestina Cruz was holding an event, and supporters seemingly placed signs on the man’s lawn to direct attendees where to go. “I told them I thought it was very distasteful…

MITT ROMNEY INSTALLS OBAMACARE BENEFICIARY AS HEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM

Well it seems that Mitt Romney does not know how to go about picking people that at least present a conservative face to his presidential team at all. First, he installed a flaming homosexual, Richard Grenell, to be his spokesman. Grenell resigned due to the fact that his homosexuality became an issue. Now he has announced that former Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, a Mormon, will head up his presidential transition…

What will the Pentagon do with about 6,000 excess MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles) after the major Army and Marine Corps combat elements leave Afghanistan at the end of 2014? The MRAPs are worth more than $4 billion. Perhaps just as important is where will the Army and Marines get the funds to operate, maintain and replace the roughly 20,000 they have tentatively decided to keep as standard equipment?…

Beach balls and bullhorns are commonly banned from graduation ceremonies, but some schools also want to silence the screaming — going so far as to have overzealous audience members arrested. That’s what reportedly happened to South Carolina mom Shannon Cooper, who was accused of whooping so loudly during her daughter’s high school graduation Saturday night that cops charged her with disorderly conduct and placed her in a detention center. “Are…

Would you barcode your baby? Microchip implants have become standard practice for our pets, but have been a tougher sell when it comes to the idea of putting them in people. Science fiction author Elizabeth Moon last week rekindled the debate on whether it’s a good idea to “barcode” infants at birth in an interview on a BBC radio program. “I would insist on every individual having a unique ID…

I think the answer is Yes, for a couple of reasons. The most obvious is his re-election effort affected by Corvette Syndrome–taking credit for and bragging about national security events or accomplishments may give people the impression that he’s tough and cares about the country. Just like men who feel the need to drive around in cars that are meant to signal something they feel deficient in. In other words…

Five Transportation Security Administration workers at Southwest Florida International Airport have been fired and another 38 suspended after an internal investigation found they failed to perform random screenings last year. The 43, a combination of front-line screeners and supervisors, represent about 15 percent of the roughly 280 TSA employees at the airport. The number of workers involved makes it one of the largest disciplinary actions TSA has taken in its…

Porcfest is here! Angela Keaton will be speaking on techniques on how to speak to non-activists about war at Porcfest, June 22nd. Porcfest is an annual gathering of peace and freedom lovers in Lancaster, NH. This is part of a continuing series sponsored in part byComeHomeAmerica.us. For more information on how to get involved or blog for Come Home America, please write akeaton@antiwar.com.

TIME MAGAZINE PUSHES DEATH AGENDA: REMOVE FEEDING TUBES FROM THE DYING ELDERLY

TIME Magazine is peddling a death agenda propaganda piece with a new issue that features these words on the cover: “HOW TO DIE.” Inside, the magazine promotes a cost-saving death agenda that encourages readers to literally “pull the feeding tubes” from their dying elderly parents, causing them to dehydrate and die. This is explained as a new cost-saving measure that drastically reduces return hospital visits by the elderly… yeah, because…

NEW SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS TO FIND ‘PRE-CRIMES’ BY DETECTING SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR

A new generation of computerised ‘Big Brother’ cameras are able to spot if you are a terrorist or a criminal – before you even commit a crime. The devices are installed in places like train stations or public buildings where they scan passers by to see if they are acting suspiciously. Using a range of in-built parameters of what is ‘normal’ the cameras then send a text message to a…

For at least the third time in the past several years, US officials have “confirmed” the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi, who they are now calling “al-Qaeda’s number two” leader. Libi was reportedly killed in one of the recent drone strikes. Libi is one of several people who officials were referring two as “al-Qaeda’s number three” before the assassination of Osama bin Laden, and his past reported deaths, which were…

Legislation that allows certain medical patients to access marijuana for medicinal use has been signed into law in Connecticut, making the Constitution State the 17th in the nation to at least partially deregulate marijuana for medical use. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy has officially signed into law H.B. 5389, An Act Concerning the Palliative Use of Marijuana, which permits state-registered patients or their caregivers with doctor approval to access marijuana from…